The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride is a 1998 American animated direct-to-video musical film sequel to the 1994 animated feature film, The Lion King. Produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Walt Disney Animation Australia and released on October 27, 1998, the film centers on Simba and Nala's daughter Kiara, who falls in love with Kovu, a male rogue lion from a banished pride that was once loyal to Simba's evil uncle, Scar. Separated by Simba's prejudice against the banished pride and a vindictive plot planned by Kovu's mother Zira, Kiara and Kovu struggle to unite their estranged pride and be together. Most of the original cast returned to their roles from the first film, apart from Rowan Atkinson, who was replaced by Edward Hibbert as the voice of Zazu for this film and its prequel, The Lion King 1½ Madge Sinclair was replaced by Vanessa RedGrave as the voice of Sarabi after her death in 1995, and Jeremy Irons, who was briefly replaced by Jim Cummings as the voice of Scar. Plot A few months after the events of the first film, the animals of the Pride Lands gather to witness the celebration of the newborn cub, Kiara, daughter of King Simba and Queen Nala. Simba's father, Mufasa, proudly watches over the ceremony from the Heavens above. As she grows older, Kiara becomes annoyed with her father's overprotective parenting. Simba assigns Timon and Pumbaa to follow her. Kiara ignores her father's warning and the duo's attention and enters the Outlands, where she meets Kovu, a cub who was chosen by Simba's uncle Scar to be his heir. When Kovu retaliates to Kiara's playing, Simba confronts the young cub just as Zira, Kovu's mother, confronts him. Zira reminds Simba of how he exiled her and the other Outsiders, and she informs him that Kovu was hand-chosen to be Scar's successor. After returning to the Pride Lands, Simba sends Nala and the rest of the pride back to Pride Rock while he lectures Kiara about the danger posed by the Outsiders and the hyenas. Simba then tells her that they are a part of each other. Meanwhile in the Outlands, Zira reminds Kovu that Simba killed Scar and exiled the lions who respect him. Kovu explains that he does not think it is so bad to have Kiara as his good friend, but Zira realizes she can use Kovu's friendship with Kiara to seek revenge on Simba. Years later, Kiara, who's now a young adult, heads out for her first solo hunt. However, Simba has Timon and Pumbaa follow her in secret, causing her to run off and hunt away from the Pride Lands. As part of Zira's plan, Kovu's siblings Nuka and Vitani trap Kiara in a fire, allowing Kovu to rescue her. Unable to thank the young rogue, Simba is forced to accept Kovu's asylum now that Kovu saved his daughter. Later that night, Simba has a nightmare about attempting to save Mufasa from falling into the stampede but is stopped by Scar who then morphs into Kovu and throws Simba off the cliff into the stampede to his death. The next day, Kovu contemplates attacking Simba as he was instructed to, but he goes out to teach Kiara how to hunt instead and eventually realizes his feelings for her. Later, Kiara and Kovu stargaze where they talk about The Great Kings of the Past and Kovu wonders if there's a darkness in him like there was in Scar. Simba watches the two from afar and is encouraged by Nala to give Kovu a chance. Kovu attempts to confess his mission to Kiara, but Rafiki interrupts and leads them to the jungle, where he introduces them to Upendi (which means love in Swahili), and the two lions fall in love. That night, Simba allows Kovu to sleep inside Pride Rock with the rest of the pride, but Vitani reports to Zira about Kovu's failure to kill Simba. The next day, Kovu wants to reveal his mission to Kiara. Before he can do so, Simba takes him around the Pride Lands and tells him the real story of Scar. They fall into Zira's trap and the Outsiders along with the hyenas Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed attack on Simba. Kovu attempts to help protect Simba, but Vitani injures him. Nuka attempts to kill Simba, but Simba escapes and Nuka is killed by logs in a nearby dam. Zira scratches Kovu for his brother's death, causing him to turn on her. Kovu attempts to plead Simba for his forgiveness, but is exiled. Kiara makes Simba realize that he is acting irrationally and Mufasa glares at him for what he did to Kovu, before fleeing to find Kovu. The two lions later find each other and confess their love. Kovu wishes to run away and start a pride with Kiara, but after hearing what Mufasa said to Kiara about her obligation, she convinces him to come back with her to the Pride Lands to reunite their prides. The Outsiders the hyenas and Pridelanders clash. Zira and Simba battle each other, but Kovu and Kiara intervene and tell them to stop fighting. Vitani and the Outsiders side with the Pridelanders. Zira attempts to kill Simba, but Kiara pushes her over a cliff, dangling over a storm-swollen river. Kiara offers her help, but Zira refuses and falls to her death while the hyenas get knocked out and run away. Simba helps Kiara back up the cliff, and they, along with Nala, allow the Outsiders and Kovu to rejoin the Pridelands at Pride Rock. Simba accepts Kovu as his son-in-law and the future king and Kiara the future queen. Simba looks up at the sky to hear the approval of his father, who says he is proud of him. Voice cast * Matthew Broderick as Simba (sung by Cam Clarke) * Michelle Horn as young Kiara (sung by Charity Sanoy) * Neve Campbell as Kiara (sung by Liz Callaway) * Ryan O'Donohue as young Kovu * Jason Marsden as Kovu (sung by Gene Miller) * Suzanne Pleshette as Zira * Moira Kelly as Nala * Andy Dick as Nuka * Nathan Lane as Timon * Ernie Sabella as Pumbaa * Robert Guillaume as Rafiki * Lacey Chabert as young Vitani (sung by Crysta Macalush) * Meredith Scott Lynn as Vitani * Edward Hibbert as Zazu * James Earl Jones as Mufasa * Jim Cummings as Scar * Additional voices: Vanessa Theme Ament, Robin Frizzell, Adrienne Hampton, Seth Isler, Zoe Leader, Lisa Long, Meredith Scott Lynn, Joel Moffett, Peter Renaday & Richard Sinclair * Chorus: Carmen Carter, Louis Price, Kevin Dorsey, Darryl Phinnessee, Niki Harris, Andrea Robinson, Joey Diggs, Maxi Anderson, Rose Stone, Ron Kunene, Carl Graves, Carmen Twillie, Ellis Hall, Oren Waters, Gene Miller, Julia Waters, Rick Nelson, Maxine Waters Willard, Bobbi Page, Terry Young & Monalisa Young Songs * He Lives In You (performed by Lebo M.) * We Are One (performed by Cam Clarke, Charity Sanoy and Ladysmith Black Mambazo) * My Lullaby (performed by Suzanne Pleshette, Andy Dick and Crysta Macalush) * Upendi (performed by Robert Guillaume, Liz Callaway, Gene Miller and Ladysmith Black Mambazo) * One Of Us (performed by Chorus: Carmen Carter, Kevin Dorsey, Joey Diggs, Carl Graves, Ellis Hall, Gene Miller, Rick Nelson, Bobbi Page, Louis Price, Andrea Robinson, Rose Stone, Carmen Twillie, Oren Waters, Julia Waters, Maxine Waters Willard and Terry Young) * Love Will Find A Way (performed by Liz Callaway and Gene Miller) * Love Will Find A Way End Title (performed by Heather Headley and Kenny Lattimore) * He Lives In You (end credits in European countries) (performed by Tina Turner) * In Youpendi (end credits in European countries) (performed by Wes Madiko) Trivia * Kiara was going to originally have a big brother named Chaka (who was going to be the baby at the end of the first film). He was deleted because of story complications. * The only film in the franchise where Timon and Pumbaa neither sing nor participate in any of these songs. * This is the only The Lion King movie in the franchise without Shenzi, Banzai & Ed, the hyenas. International releases *United States: October 27, 1998 *Netherlands: February 24, 1999 *Iceland: March 4, 1999 *Portugal: March 13, 1999 *Poland: March 16, 1999 *Sweden: March 17, 1999 *Italy: March 17, 1999 *Norway: March 17, 1999 *Denmark: March 26, 1999 *Finland: May 1, 1999 *Brazil: May 5, 1999 *Spain: May 5, 1999 *China: August, 1999 *Japan: August 26, 1999 *Australia: July 31, 2000 *Greece: June 5, 2004 *Russia: June 19, 2004 International titles * Albania: Mbreti Luan 2: Mbreterua e Simbes * Brazil: O Rei Leao 2: O Reino de Simba * Bulgaria: ? * Canada: Le Roi Lion 2: La fierté de Simba * Croatia: Kralj lavova 2: Simbin ponos * Denmark: Lövernes konge 2: Simbas stolthed * Finland: Leijonakuningas II: Jylhäkallion ylpeys * France: Le Roi Lion 2: L'honneur de la Tribu * Germany: Der König der Löwen 2: Simbas Königreich * Greece: O vasilias ton liontarion II: To vasileio tou Simba * Hungary: Az oroszlánkirály 2: Simba buszkesége * Italy: Il re leone II: Il regno di Simba * Japan: ライオン・キング2 シンバズ・プライド (Raion Kingu 2: Shinbazu puraido) * Mexico: El rey león 2: El reino de Simba * Netherlands: De leeuwenkoning 2: Simba's Trots * Norway: Lövenes konge 2: Simbas stolthet * Poland: Król lew II: Czas Simby * Portugal: O Rei Leao 2: O Orgulho de Simba * Romania: Regele Leu 2: Regatul lui Simba * Russia: ? * Serbia: Kralj lavova 2: Simbin ponos * Spain: El Rey León 2: El Tesoro de Simba * Sweden: Lejonkungen 2: Simbas skatt * Turkey: Aslan Kral 2: Simba'nin onuru * Ukraine: ? References to The Lion King The Lion King II contains many references and winks to the first film, including: * Mufasa appears twice; first, presiding over Kiara's presentation ceremony from heaven, he also appears during the nightmare in which Simba sees himself killed by Kovu. * The film has the same principle with the beginning of the day and the sunrise. * Scar appears twice; one, during Simba's nightmare, and another, when Kovu looks into a puddle and sees Scar's reflection instead of his own. * Rafiki uses the phrase Follow old Rafiki, he knows the way, when he takes Kovu and Kiara to Upendi. He used the same phrase when he took Simba to the place where he saw his father. * The ravine where Mufasa died appears in the sequel, it is likely that this same ravine is the one in which Nuka dies crushed by a pile of logs that block the exit of the river or also where Zira falls to her death at the end of the film. * Zira and Nuka have the habit of making gestures with claws very similar to those that Scar did in the first movie. * Zira scratches a rock with her claws in the same way that Scar did at the beginning of The Lion King. * Zira's song is very similar to that of Scar (ready, ready), because, in both, the characters go down and climb rocks and gather their followers, in addition to both, in the end, Zira and Scar are in the highest place, ending the song with an evil laugh. * Nuka mentions in a scene from The Lion King II, that the hyenas are gone. * Nuka is jealous towards Kovu, just like Scar at Mufasa in the first movie. International releases For information about international dubs and releases, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride/International. Category:1998 films Category:1990s American animated films Category:American musical films Category:Films produced by Jeannine Roussel Category:Films directed by Darrell Rooney Category:Film scores by Nick Glennie-Smith Category:American sequel films Category:Disney direct-to-video films Category:Direct-to-video sequel films Category:DisneyToons Studios animated films Category:Walt Disney Television Animation Category:Walt Disney Animation Australia Category:Walt Disney Animation Canada Category:Toon City Animation